Patriotic Duty: Macon in May

“Let’s incentivize the columnists by extending the conference discount,” Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner tells the president during a flight to Macon, Ga. (Neither will be there May 4-6).

Humor by Ben Pollock

See? Everyone agrees. It’s your duty to attend the annual conference of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. It’s May 4-6 in Macon, Ga. Stories about the conference are archived here, and the main details are here.

The White House authorized the board of the NSNC to extended the registration discount to Saturday, March 31 — a month. This is so important that Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Speaker John Boehner have reached across the aisle in agreement. It’s but a recommendation, no government regulations or policies, so it’s all kosher, all agreed. One of the party said it’s halal, too.

Even Ron Paul likes a sale.

Even after the discount time runs out, there is still time to register. The conference — including seven meals — has a regular cost of $299 for NSNC members and $349 for nonmembers. The regular fee for guests is $249. What about nonmembers? Join the NSNC when you register, $50 per year, and that entitles you to the discounts!

Nancy Grace, the outspoken legal analyst and host of a top-rated show on CNN’s Headline News, will lead one of the featured seminars at the 36th annual NSNC annual conference in Macon, Ga., May 3-6. Other forums include sessions with Charlotte Observer columnist Tommy Tomlinson, former CNN president and newspaper publisher Tom Johnson and Southern humorist Lauretta Hannon.

Conferees also will get to meet Dedre Grizzard, widow of nationally renowned humor columnist Lewis Grizzard. Grizzard was based at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.